Preamble

Across professions that involve a significant level of risk of harm, it is broadly accepted that professionals working in those areas are subject to ethical standards - whether implemented through industry associations or through regulatory requirements - around their practice, their integrity and their position.

By the very nature of technology as a field, however, enforcing regulatory requirements is likely to be folly. After all, the power of the technologist comes from the fact that it's possible to make change equally from a bedroom as it is from an office: yet, that levelling of the playing field increases risk in its own ways.

Regulation alone also wouldn't solve this problem: a mindset shift is what's needed to manage these risks. Technology professionals should not just think of themselves as technology professionals, but rather as Practitioner Technologists; we practice our skills in the hope and expectation of producing a better society, accept that we do not know all the answers, and take responsibility when things go wrong.

Research suggests internal moral identity matters when making ethical decisions, and in other industries, there's evidence that stronger professional identity makes people more likely to challenge and report unethical behaviour. Many of us identify ourselves as "makers", and yet this identity is in and of itself not a neutral one: it puts the creation of new things at the core of our professional and personal identity, rather than our practical role as gatekeepers of new technologies and maintainers of existing ones. Understanding an identity as a Practitioner Technologist as a primary professional identity is the way towards prioritising our ethical responsibilities; it is not a code of conduct, but a statement of internal values, and of who we are.

Principles

As a Practitioner Technologist, I:

1. hold the protection and promotion of human life, health, welfare and individual rights to be paramount in my work as a foundational professional ethical principle, which may never be set aside in favour of customer needs;
2. challenge behaviours, work plans and other actions or intended actions which place the above at risk, both in and out of the workplace, while encouraging others to do the same, and never preventing the raising of concerns;
3. understand that, in all things, both action and inaction carry risk, and endeavour to balance these risks in my work, doing all I can to reduce the risk of harm to individuals, groups of individuals or society at large as far as possible;
4. accept that I carry personal responsibility for the results of my practice, in addition to corporate responsibility with my employer, and consider this responsibility throughout my practice;
5. consider the risk of accidental discrimination, including reinforcing existing societal biases, in my practice, and commit to practice in a way that actively promotes equality, including but not limited to equality on the basis of race or ethnicity, age, sex and/or gender identity, gender reassignment and/or transition, sexual orientation, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, or religion or belief;
6. accept the limits of my own practice and professional knowledge, seeking support from others wherever required;
7. endeavour to keep both my technical and non-technical skills current and up to date, sharing information and good practice with other practitioners;
8. never presume to know the context or content of someone else's specialism, role or organisation better than they do themselves: work in consultation with others, discussing with rather than talking at them; and
9. accept and actively encourage feedback from others to improve my practice, including but not limited to where others feel I have fallen short of these principles.

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